New Generation
by Nicolllette13
Summary: So many years have passed for the Naruto gang. The time has come when their children are becoming ninja. New rivals, new friendships, new enemies, and new feelings. Akina Uzumaki and her team are in for a wild ride. No one said being a ninja was easy.
1. New Team 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto of course. Sasuke probably would be back by now if I did.**

**Note: So yeah, this is originially for a close friend of mine who wanted to see what Naruto's kids would be like along with other kids of our favorite ninjas. So, I hope you all enjoy it and tell me what you think in a review so I can know if chapter two is worth putting up. **

**1**

**New Team 7**

"I don't know, I almost don't want to wake him up…" Sakura murmured to her husband with a large grin on her face. Sasuke leaned in the door way, his arm around Sakura's waist "Yes, but Ichiro would have a heart attack if he was late for the day he gets assigned for a squad" Sasuke said in a whisper, messing with Sakura's long pink hair that rested in a pony-tail. Their second child Mamiko suddenly pushed between them and rushed up to her snoozing older brother and jumped on his bed.

"Wake up, Ichiro!" she shouted making Ichiro bolt up and accidentally knock Mamiko off his bed. The dark haired girl hopped up, her twin braids swinging. Ichiro rubbed his green eyes tiredly and looked to his parents "I'm not late, am I?" Ichiro asked, throwing his covers off. "We wouldn't do that you, get dressed" Sakura motioned for Mamiko to leave the room and Sasuke shut the door for Ichiro's privacy.

As they walked down the hall, six year old Takara waddled out in her pajamas, asking sleepily "What's going on?" which made Sasuke chuckle and pick Takara up "Nothing little one, you don't have to get dressed for another hour" he assured her and glanced down at Mamiko "And neither do you, so why are you so energetic?" he arched an eyebrow at her.

Mamiko smiled big "My big bro's officially a ninja, I wanna be there for him" Mamiko said sweetly, making her parents smile. The Uchihas had three children with a fourth one on the way. Ichiro was their first born with black hair that lay flat against his head and emerald eyes, He took more after of Sasuke, but had Sakura's social abilities. Mamiko was the middle child and two year younger than Ichiro and looked exactly like Sasuke's mother, she had a big heart and seemed to get along with everyone. Then there was little Takara, who had curly pink hair and coal black eyes but was a rather gifted child who already seemed like she could handle being a medical ninja.

Sasuke set Takara down and the girls ran to the kitchen and they're parents followed, Sakura catching the toast just as it popped out of the toaster. As Sakura served the food, Ichiro walked in, wearing his normal ninja outfit: a black mesh shirt with a black leather jacket zipped over it that had the Uchiha symbol on the back, cargo shorts, and his ninja shoes. Not to mention his headband hanging around his neck. "You look ready for school" Sakura said happily as Ichiro sat down by Mamiko.

"Yeah, I just hope I don't get put on the same team as Akina Uzumaki, she's so annoying" Ichiro sighed, rolling his eyes. "Ichiro, be nice. Akina's a sweet girl she's just…" Sakura paused to look for the right word. "Spaztic?" Sasuke offered before taking a bite of his eggs "Energetic" Sakura ignored her husband's words, used to his slight sarcasm.

"If Akina's _just_ energetic then Mamiko's _just_ loud" Ichiro snorted making Mamiko shout "Hey!" and glare at her big brother. "You two should get along better; follow the example of your uncle Itachi and your dad when they were kids. They got along just fine and there was a bigger age difference" Sakura lectured and cast a deadly glare at Ichiro who was about to roll his eyes. "It's true, we hit a rough patch when I was Ichiro's age and until I was sixteen, but I doubt you two will end up like that" Sasuke assured, patting his son on the shoulder.

Sasuke and Sakura traded glances, the memories sharing between them of that particularly vicious time. Their kids new about the fourth great shinobi war, but they couldn't bring themselves to tell the children what Itachi had done.

What Sasuke had done.

"Mom, dad, you both have that "thinking about the past" look" Mamiko pointed out before stuffing her face. Sakura smiled with a bit of blush coloring her cheeks while Sasuke just smirked, mostly at himself. "If you don't want Akina on your team, then who would you want?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow. Ichiro became thoughtful "Well…"

Akina looked at herself in the mirror. Hair in two ponytails, check. Orange scarf, check. Dark purple tank top, check. Tan skort, check. Orange and white arm warmers, check. Fishnet stockings, check. Ninja shoes, check. Headband, check. She was all set and ready for her first day of being a ninja.

As Akina trotted out of her room and down to the living room she saw her brothers wresting like morons. "Boys, play nice" Hinata said in that kind way of hers. Akina's brothers were Jakobe (ten) and Jiraiya (eight). They both had raven black hair but while Jakobe had Hinata's eyes, Jiraiya had Naruto's. Jiraiya still had the byakugan, but his eyes didn't change unless he was using it. Akina herself had Naruto's bright blonde hair, Hinata's eyes, Hinata's body type, and Naruto's personality.

A yellow flash rushed in and picked up the brothers, making them laugh in surprise. "Didn't your mom say behave?" Naruto chuckled as he held one boy in each arm, not even breaking under the young struggles. "Okay, sorry dad" Jakobe huffed with a laugh. Akina saw her father was already wearing his Hokage cloak and her heart swelled with pride. Her dad was the sixth Hokage, one of the greatest in Akina's opinion.

Naruto set his sons down and kissed Hinata on the cheek, her whole face lighting up. "Ready for your first day of ninja training, Akina?" Naruto asked, placing his hand on top of her head. "Yep! I'm gonna be a great ninja, just like you dad!" Akina assured with a big grin on her face. "Just remember, no one is perfect on their first day" Hinata reminded Akina gently before giving her a hug.

"I know, mama, I'll try and be patient" Akina promised, giving a two fingered salute. "And be nice to your squad members," Naruto leaned down to whisper "Even if it's Ichiro Uchiha" Akina groaned as Naruto laughed. "Don't mess up, Aki-chan!" Jiraiya gushed, waving to his big sister. "I won't kiddo, I'll do the Uzumaki name proud!" Akina promised, giving a thumbs up. She then rushed out the door, sprinting like it was nothing.

Akina had to behave if she was ever going to learn those new jutsu from her parents that were supposed to be really powerful. She had seen her dad's rasengan, which alone packed a punch. Akina wanted to be a great ninja, maybe even one of the guardian Shinobi twelve. Or a sannin like grandma Tsunade. Though she had a hunch that would be a bit tougher to become.

As for Hokage, Akina didn't feel the need. She loved her dad, but she didn't think she could sit around and wait for something important happen. She heard her dad grumble about paper work. And now when something bad happened in the village she would get to help; she'd be an official ninja! "I'll blow my sensei away, he'll want to promote me to chuunin in no time" Akina snickered as she ran.

Some people waved to her as she hopped around the town to the academy while others bowed. Some even said "Hello princess Akina!" which she didn't necessarily mind. As Akina headed to the academy, she saw her dad's best friend Sasuke Uchiha coming out of the Uchiha police force building. "Hi Sasuke-san!" Akina waved from the bottom of the stairs. "Hi Akina…shouldn't you be at the academy already?" Sasuke asked, glancing in that direction.

"I'm headed there now, don't worry. Besides, I'm the Hokage's daughter so I think I'm allowed to be fashionably late" Akina giggled, making Sasuke shake his head. "You're too much like your father, now go before you get in trouble" Sasuke ushered her forward and Akina was bounding away quickly.

When she finally was in the academy front yard Akina hopped over the old swing that had been tied to that old tree for ages. She didn't think anyone even used it. Either way, Akina burst through the front doors and luckily there were still kids wandering around along with some teachers.

She wasn't late.

Akina dashed to her classroom and pushed open the door, stepping in without a single ring of the bell. Akina breathed a sigh of relief and put her hands on her knees momentarily. "I knew you wouldn't miss being on time for squad day" a familiar voice said. Akina looked up to see her friend Akahana Inuzuka. Akahana had shoulder length curly brown hair and weird black eyes that reminded Akina of a dog's. She was a bit of a tomboy with her grey hoodie and baggie shorts, but that was good ninja wise. "No way, I hope we get to be on the same squad" Akina declared with a smile as she fist bumped Akahana.

The blonde genin then looked around to see who else she knew.

There was Chouma and Inokota of the Akimichi clan. Chouma was a bit on the pudgy side but his slim sister was the one that always seemed to be eating. Chouma had the trade mark Akimichi spiky light brown hair and his seem to go straight up and towards the middle. He and his sister both had bright blue eyes from their mother though. Inokota looked exactly like her mother Ino, except her blonde hair was shorter and her bangs were parted down the middle. Inokota was actually only eleven, but she was talented enough to be bumped up with their class.

The Nara twins were being polar opposites as usual. They looked exactly alike with black hair in low ponytails and teal colored eyes along with the same body build. But they were completely different. They were both incredibly smart, but only one of them used their brain on a regular basis. Hiromasa was the lazy one, he was nearly falling asleep at his seat right now. Shikazuno was the hardworker and he even had a bit of a sense of humor.

Danma Hyuuga was waiting patiently for squads to be assigned. He was Akina's second cousin and they didn't really get along because of their different personalities. Danma had short, choppy chocolate brown hair and the byakugan eyes as well. His role in life was supposed to protect Akina since she was part of the main branch, but they preferred to stay there separate ways.

Then there was Toko Lee. She had wavy, shiny black hair that was kept in a tight pony tail, steel green eyes (lucky for her she didn't get her dad's eyes) and a passion for being a ninja. She was like her dad in a lot of ways: including the green jumpsuit.

Akina's eyes caught sight of the biggest jerk she'd ever known. Ichiro Uchiha. He was confident in everything and just because he was good at his jutsu he was so full of himself (in Akina's opinion) not to mention every time he flipped his hair every girl in the class fell to their knees. Even Akahana. But no girl ever approached him, they all preferred to admire him from afar and it made Akina's blood boil.

She didn't see what so special about the stupid Uchiha. Akina stormed over and plopped in the seat next to him, hearing a collective gasp from every girl in the class. Ichiro had been staring out the window but he glanced in her direction, a dark eyebrow arched. "Morning, Uzumaki" he greeted casually, his hand under his chin. "Uchiha" Akina said curtly before noticing where his forehead protector was. "Idiot, that's supposed to go on your forehead" Akina reprimanded, making Ichiro roll his eyes.

"It doesn't have to and I'm not the only one that does this. Plus my neck needs as much protection from kunai as my forehead" Ichiro shrugged, a slight smirk on his face. Akina's eyes narrowed, never liking it when he was smug. "You think you're so witty, it's annoying, not cool!" Akina barked, using her phrase that she used when she got excited, angry, or on adrenaline. Her dad said "Believe it" and apparently her grandma Kushina had said "Like no."

"Whatever" Ichiro leaned back in his seat, his expression cool as always. Akina heard some girls swoon, one being Inokota. She whipped around since Inokota was sitting almost directly behind her "Get a grip, Inokota! He's just a stupid Uchiha" Akina whisper yelled, glaring at the fellow blonde. Inokota leaned forward to answer "Yeah, but he's sooo cute and cool, I'm so glad my mom married my dad instead of an Uchiha, now I can have the chance!" Inokota whispered dreamily, making Akina growl in frustration.

"I can hear you" Ichiro said simply making the girls freeze up. Akina turned around and glowered at Ichiro "So what? Afraid I'll make sure your fan girls come to their senses?" Akina grinned evilly, looking like she planned to do just that. But as she was ranting, Inokota had been waving at Ichiro in a "cute" manner the entire time. Ichiro looked at Akina for a moment before shaking his head "I could care less what you do" and then went to look back out the window.

Akina practically felt the steam coming out of her ears. She took a deep breath and turned forward, wanting to calm down. She had promised her dad to be nice today. Though if Akina had to choose, she'd want Akahana and Shikazuno on her team. She got along with the both of them so there'd be no problem.

Iruka-sensei suddenly came in with a paper of names. "Morning Iruka-sensei!" Akina shouted above the others who greeted him, she often saw the older ninja at her house. He was a regular visitor along with Kakashi-sensei and grandma Tsunade. She loved all three of them, they were extended family. "Alright class, settle down. We're going to assign squads today" Iruka announced, making Akina practically bounce in her seat.

She waited as he called for teams and it took all her will not to jump out of her seat "Team seven will be: Hiromasa Nara, Akina Uzumaki," okay, wasn't too bad for her "And Ichiro Uchiha" Akina blinked. Had she heard that right? No, no way could she be…

She was…

_One the same team as Ichiro Uchiha…_

_What the HELL?_

Her mind screamed and this time Akina was sure steam was blowing like a train whistle out of her head. While she fumed, all the other girls in the class groaned. She missed the names of team eight. "Team nine is Danma Hyuuga, Akahana Inuzuka, and Toko Lee" Akina was almost ready to switch with Akahana. She'd take both her cousin and Toko over Uchiha. "And then team ten is Inokota Akimichi, Shikazuno Nara, and Chouma Akimichi" Iruka finished, putting the paper on his desk.

"I'll go get your squad leaders" Iruka-sensei then left the room. Akahana turned to Akina with a disappointed look "Well, this'll be an interesting time" was all she could say, letting out a huff. "Yeah, thanks to my crappy luck" Akina muttered, grinding her teeth.

The sound of a chair scooting back and someone jumping into the air made Akina jolt backward off her desk for her own safety. Orange leg warmers blocked her vision and within another second Toko Lee was squatting down in front of Akina, glowering. Toko had gotten everything look wise from her mom, so she was actually quite pretty. Akina was positive she'd be more frightened if big bushy eyebrows were furrowed at her.

"Can I help you?..." Akina said slowly, leaning farther back in her chair. "You may be on the same team as Ichiro-kun, but I will not be defeated!" Toko stood up and pointed her index finger at Ichiro, little hearts seeming to form in her eyes as she readied to say something "I will win your heart, Ichiro Uchiha!" she shouted loudly, causing the whole class to go quiet. Ichiro looked a little dumbfounded, but only a little.

"Toko! Get in your seat!" Iruka shouted from the doorway, causing Toko to leap back to her spot. Akina blinked, since when was she in the "Ichiro" competition?

The squad leaders came in, grabbed their new team and left. At some point Hiromasa got up and sat down next to Akina as they waited. "This is such a bore, where's our captain?" he complained with a sigh, finally having woken himself up. "I kinda hope it's not Kakashi-sensei, he's always so late" Akina huffed, watching Iruka poke his head out the door and seem to usher someone else in.

Akina realized they were the last team; this had to be their squad leader. A man with abnormally pale skin, coal black hair that lay flat against his head, wearing a green jonin jacket over black clothes, and who looked rather similar to Ichiro's dad walked in. Iruka slipped out, leaving introductions to the four of them.

"Hello, my name is Sai. From this day on, I'm your captain and your sensei" he gave a polite smile to them. Akina and Ichiro both shot to their feet, asking similar questions:

"Why do you look so much like my dad?"

"Why do you look so much like Sasuke-san!"

They looked at each other before Akina glared and stomped down to the front. Hiromasa followed suit, sitting on top of a desk instantly. Ichiro slowly followed, calculating their new sensei. "Oh, I get that sometimes. I really don't know in all honestly, Sasuke and I just look similar. Now let me see if I get this right" he looked at the preteens. "You're definitely Ichiro Uchiha" he pointed to Ichiro. "You're Akina Uzumaki" his index finger shifted to Akina. "Which means you're Hiromasa Nara" Sai said in accomplishment. "Go ahead and call me Hiro, Sai-sensei" Hiromasa suddenly said, surprising his teammates.

Sai nodded "Well, you kids follow me, we've got some learning to do" Sai had them follow him out of the academy through town, leading to the building with tall wide pillars. There was a step or two as well, which Sai sat at the top of.

The new team sat down facing him. "Why are we all the way out here?" Hiro asked as he looked around. "This is where I first became a part of the team seven back when I was a teenager. It holds some signifigance for me" Sai explained with that same smile. "Now, let's learn a bit about each other. I want you to each tell me why you're here" Sai stated simply, making the kids look at him oddly.

"I'll go first: I'm a here because I wanted to teach young ninja how to become jonin" Sai explained, making Akina nod in understanding. "Well, I'm here because I'm exactly like my dad, but he's now an important advisor for the Hokage in battle strategies. Konoha would be lost without his help, in my opinion. And I want to achieve something greater than what I'm expected to" Hiro shrugged, his head on his arms.

Akina happily went next "I want to become one of the guardian shinobi twelve, or maybe even learn how to become a sannin…even though I know it's a bit of a stretch. But I can't be pessimistic, not cool!" Akina declared, making Sai laugh a little "You remind me of Naruto" was all he said. "And Ichiro?" Sai looked to the preteen that leaned against a pillar, one arm resting on his knee. "Honestly, I want to be Hokage…" he admitted, making Hiro and Akina look at him in surprise.

"Every single Hokage has made a difference, is the hope of the village. With every Hokage the village is brought to new heights, I want to be the Hokage that brought it higher than the moon" Ichiro was truthful, never one to talk lies. Akina stared at him with a bit of shock. The shock was only in her eyes, the only other hint of it was her mouth; it was open just the tiniest bit.

Before Ichiro could look her way, Akina composed herself. "You all have very respectful reasons for being ninjas. I look forward to training you" Sai nodded in approval. "So, what do we do first, Sai-sensei?" Akina asked excitedly, grinning widely. "Oh not until tomorrow, this is a time where you three can get some time to know each other by yourselves. Meet me tomorrow by the river at noon" Sai saluted and disappeared in a puff of white smoke before anyone could protest.

Akina jumped up, looking pumped "Okay, how about we bond over some Ichiraku ramen?" Akina suggested, looking at the boys. "Ramen is disgusting and I already know you" Ichiro looked at her coolly, making Akina's blood boil. "Fine, I don't want to hang out with you anyway, Uchiha! Not cool!" Akina bounded off, smokes of anger trailing behind her.

Ichiro and Hiro traded looks and Ichiro was surprised to see Hiro crack a smile. "Hm, and here I thought this was team was going to be a snooze fest" Hiro was serious, but his look was intrigued. "Yeah, you kind of have an interesting day with Akina around; negative or otherwise" Ichiro shrugged, smirking. Hiro got up and sat a few feet away from Ichiro, holding out his hand. Ichiro politely shook his hand, almost in camaraderie. "So, you're actually older than Shikazuno?" Ichiro asked casually, leaning against the pillar.

"Yeah, but like I said, I'm way too much like my dad. Shikazuno's like my mom so I have a feeling he and Inokota are going to kill each other" Hiro teased, that smile cracking over his face. "Wow, and people say Shikazuno is the one with humor" Ichiro teased back, still smirking. "I'm anti-social. You're probably one of the few people I've actually have a conversation with that doesn't involve insults" Hiro admitted, not really seeming to care. "Eh, guys don't like me because I'm confident in my jutsu skills and I let it show. And you see how girls are," Ichiro rolled his eyes and then appeared thoughtful "Except Akina."

Hiro nodded "Uzumaki seems to be bipolar. I wouldn't worry about it, she'll learn to deal" Hiro assured, nodding to himself. "That'd be nice. I'd rather not have my ear drums blown every day" Ichiro shook his head before glancing off to the direction Akina had bounded off.

Hinata nearly dropped her pot when she heard the very audible door slam. "Akina, don't slam the doors" Hinata reprimanded from the kitchen, her soft voice actually firm. Akina rushed into the kitchen and slammed her fists on the island counter, obviously upset. "What's the matter?" Hinata raised an eyebrow at her daughter, glancing to her sons that were playing tag in the house.

"Worst thing _ever_!" Akina shouted, her face flushed "My team is me, Hiromasa Nara and that _jerk_ Ichiro Uchiha, not cool!" Akina was practically stomping her feet. As she was doing this, the sound of something expensive breaking assaulted the Uzumaki girls' ears. "Jakobe! Jiraiya!" Hinata sound a bit exasperated until she saw Naruto poking his head out from the living room with a sheepish grin. "Actually, that was my fault, Hinata…" he chuckled, scratching the back of his head as his sons stuck their head into view under him.

"Yep, all dad's fault" Jakobe confirmed, popping Jiraiya on the back of the head to get his little brother to nod his head. "Dad! I got put on the same team as Ichiro Uchiha!" Akina complained, waving her hands frantically. Naruto came into the kitchen and sighed a little "Ah geez… if I get a call from Sakura yelling at me for Ichiro having a black eye it won't end well for anyone" Naruto huffed, shaking his head. "I didn't hit him. Even though I wanted to kick that smug look off his face really, really badly!" Akina was practically jumping.

Hinata smiled softly "Naruto, why not tell her how you and Sasuke first were?" Hinata offered, turning back to making dinner. Naruto grinned widely "When I first got put on team seven with Ichiro's dad, I hated him. But when we had our first dangerous mission we bonded a little and from then on we became each other's rivals we pushed each other to be better ninja, but ultimately we became best friends" Naruto explained, giving his daughter a trademark smile that was normally infectious. Akina had that same smile.

Still, she wasn't convinced "Yeah but you were both boys and it was easier for you to get along. Ichiro doesn't hang out with any girls except his little sister!" Akina protested frantically. "Hm, then maybe you'll end up being important to him like Sakura-chan is to Sasuke," Hinata added

"She told me he used to call her annoying, but she was actually important to them, and look how they turned out" Hinata was teasing her daughter. Akina was dumbfounded. "Ichiro and Akina sitting in a tree−" "No! Shut up! Shut up! Ewww!" Akina shouted as she cut off her brothers' singing. Akina ran out of the room, her brothers chasing her and still singing, her parents laughing.

Meanwhile, Ichiro was back home, exasperated. "Hey sweetie, how was your first day as a squad?" Sakura asked from the living room. "Weird. I actually had a decent conversation with Hiromasa Nara; we have some stuff in common" Ichiro plopped on the couch where his mother was resting. "And since it's my luck, my other teammate is Akina Uzumaki" Ichiro sighed, making Sakura giggle. "Calm down, most teams don't get along when they first pair up. Who's your sensei?" Sakura asked casually, one arm slung over the back of the couch.

"Sai-sensei, he's leading our team seven" Ichiro told her, seeing his mom's eyes light up in recognition. "Sasuke! Come here!" Sakura called out. As a true ninja, Sasuke merely appeared while Mamiko could be heard running in their direction towards the house, yelling: "No fair, dad!" Sasuke had a slight smirk on his face before looking to Sakura "What's up?" he asked as he put his hands in his pockets. "Sai's the sensei for Ichiro, Akina, and Hiro who happen to be the new team seven" Sakura said with a bit of a knowing smile.

Mamiko skidded in and instantly clung to her dad's leg so he couldn't get away. She even sat on the floor to wrap her legs around his ankle, feeling victorious. Sasuke wasn't fazed by his daughter's actions or the news. "Hm, you know him better than I do, Sakura. Even after everything I didn't bother to get to know him that well" Sasuke shrugged, reminding his son how antisocial he could be.

"Is he tough?" Ichiro asked simply, rolling his eyes at the persistent Mamiko. "Well, he was in anbu before he partnered with us so he's a fine ninja. But Sai is rather…honest. It took him a while to learn how to make friends and be around people. I saw him a few months ago and he still kept in touch with all the friends he made here. I think he should be a fine teacher" Sakura reached over and fixed Ichiro's hair.

"Alright, well I'll officially start training with him so I guess I better be prepared," Ichiro glanced between his parents "So, you still plan on teaching me those new jutsus right?" Ichiro asked, anxious to learn. "Yes, your mother will be teaching you how to harbor massive strength and I'll teach you the chidori after a while" Sasuke promised, beginning to shake his leg to get Mamiko off. She laughed and clung to him, making the wrather composed ninja look silly.

As Ichiro and Sakura laughed, Sasuke continued to pry the little girl off his leg. "Mamiko, let go of your dad so he can take both you and Ichiro out back to practice your kunai attacks" Sakura ordered gently. Mamiko let go instantly and stood up. "Okay!" she then ran away quickly towards the back door.

Ichiro got up with his mother and waited for his dad in the doorway. "Dinner will be ready in an hour; don't let the future Hokage work himself too hard" Sakura teased as she lightly kissed the corner of his mouth. Sasuke nodded, releasing the arm that had been around her waist when she had gotten in reach of him. "Let's go, Ichiro" Sasuke gave his son a light push out towards the backyard, seeing a young and happier version of himself in Ichiro.


	2. Teacher and Students

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto of course. Sasuke probably would be back by now if I did.**

**Note: Well, I realized how hard it is keeping Ichiro calm, considering how frustrating Akina is. well, lets see if everyone can work as a team, shall we?**

**2**

**Teacher and Students**

Hiro woke up reluctantly thanks to his twin. Shika had hit him with a pillow and was already dressed, ready for his training day. "You're an abusive little brother" Hiro murmured as he got up and trudged to his closet. "You'll live. I don't think your teammates will appreciate you being late" Shika stated simply, tightening his pony tail. Shika then turned his back to let his brother get dressed, putting on his headband.

Hiro lazily brushed his hair after he had put on his clothes and tied it into that low pony tail. "Why aren't you in the kitchen eating your protein bars?" Hiro asked, turning to his twin. "I'm just not" Shika shrugged, handing his brother his head band. "And as for my teammates, Akina's probably too busy yelling at Ichiro to notice anything and Ichiro probably doesn't care. And as for my sensei…" Hiro shrugged, wrapping his headband around his thigh.

Shika rolled his eyes and went to put on his ninja shoes. Hiro realized his shoes were in the living room so he left their shared bedroom and dragged his feet to the living room. What he found left him scarred. "Ah, gross!" Hiro groaned, his hands covering his eyes. On the couch were his parents; Shikamaru and Temari. Temari sat on her husband's lap with her arms around his neck as they pretty much made out. They parted when they heard their son's protest. "Shouldn't you be training already?" Temari asked casually, not removing herself from her human cushion.

"Not yet and you guys are married you're not supposed to show any affection towards each other" Hiro snorted, finding his shoes near the bookshelves and slipping them on. "You'll understand when you're older" Shikamaru assured just as Shikazuno came in. "And that's why I didn't leave the room yet" Shikazuno pointed to their parents. "Thanks for the warning" Hiro rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen, finding some toast in the toaster. Ah, at least his mom knew his favorite breakfast.

Hiromasa grabbed the toast and then called out to his parents "I'm going, I guess" and went into the foyer to the front door. He opened the door and found his little sister Kazuhisa playing dolls with Rai Inuzuka. "Kazu, little early for you, ain't it?" Hiro asked lazily, munching on his toast. "Nope, you're the one who sleeps in, Mr. Ninja" Kazu teased with a grin that she definitely got from Temari. Kazu looked exactly like their mother with shaggy blonde hair that she kept in a similar style to Temari's, but she only had two buns. Her eyes were Shikamaru's but often filled with amusement.

Little Rai liked to act older than she was, looking too much like her sister Akahana, similar red markings on her cheeks. "Rai! Rai!" Akahana's voice was heard as she dashed across the street into the Nara territory, glowering at her little sister. "Pa is gonna kill you for not letting him know you were coming over here, luckily my guess was right" Akahana hissed, stomping up the stone walkway.

Rai huffed, not seeming to protest against her big sister "Sorry, Akahana" Rai hugged Kazu and promised to see her later "But I'm gonna be a ninja soon too, you know" Rai assured her sister, puffing out her chest. "Yeah, yeah, yeah" Akahana rolled her eyes and took Rai's hand before casting a smile to Hiromasa "Sisters, eh?" she laughed lightly. "I know what you mean" Hiro nodded in sympathy, receiving a tongue stuck out at him from Kazu before she grabbed her dolls and headed inside.

"Well, see you around Hiromasa, say hi to Akina for me!" Akahana said as she walked away, hand wrapped firmly around Rai's. Hiro smiled and walked down his walkway and took a left, Akahana disappearing from his view shortly after. The Inuzuka clan didn't live too far away since they helped take care of the Nara deer every now and then considering they were vets. Hiro had a feeling next time he saw Akahana she'd have a dog with her.

Hiro had known Akahana for a while, but he knew like every other girl (minus Akina) she had a thing for Ichiro. Akahana was a true tomboy which Hiro liked, considering the few girls he knew tended to…irk him. Either way, Hiro couldn't think about that right now considering he had training to do. He headed to the river in the forest; luckily it wasn't too far from his home. He decided to kick it to a run so he wouldn't be late.

When Hiro had made it into the woods, he began looking for his comrades. He actually heard them before he saw them. Well, he heard Akina. "I mean it, Ichiro! Don't get in my way today!" Akina was shouting. If Ichiro had responded, Hiro couldn't hear him. This is why Hiro didn't mind being late, better than dealing with having to deal with those two on time.

Sai-sensei was there with that polite smile of his, his eyes closed as he held his hands up for the universal "Calm down" sign. "Now, now, this is no time for fighting" Sai-sensei reminded, mainly trying to reign in Akina's anger. "You said we were training today" Ichiro shrugged, still unfazed by Akina's ranting. When Hiro came up to them he and Ichiro bumped fists in greeting. Akina took notice of it.

"Hey! When did you two get all buddy-buddy?" Akina asked in confusion. "When you were being ramen crazed" Ichiro answered, rolling his eyes. Before Akina could strangle him, Sai-sensei intervened quickly. "Alright, I understand you two have your differences, a lot of team members do when they first start out. Now if you please let us get to the training exercise for today" Sai-sensei ordered calmly, not moving until Akina huffed and crossed her arms.

Sai-sensei turned so he was facing his three students "One thing I should add, today's exercise will decide whether you three officially become team seven and genin…or get sent right back to the academy" at his words; Akina's jaw dropped, Ichiro's eyes widened in surprise, and Hiro groaned a little in protest. Sai-sensei gave his weird smile "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll do fine."

"You'll be tested on how you all do with team work. Your goal is to find a way to incapacitate me as if I was an enemy you needed to bring in for questioning. To do so you will have to work together or else you will never capture me. I will be fighting back if I feel threatened of course, so be careful. You have two hours" Sai-sensei explained lightly, staring at them a bit expectantly. When no one moved Sai added "Starting now."

The young ninjas vanished to different hiding spots, mistakenly away from each other. Sai stood there, hoping they'd do the intelligent thing and fall back first to form a plan. Ichiro and Hiro weren't too far away from each other in the hiding places. Ichiro looked over at Hiro and formed a hand seal for the shadow possession and raised his eyebrow at Hiro in question. Hiro nodded and began shifting farther away from Ichiro in a better position to get a hold of Sai.

Unfortunately, Akina came bursting out of nowhere, quickly doing the hand seals for multi shadow clone jutsu. Three shadow clones appeared along with her and rushed at Sai, kunai drawn. Ichiro was more annoyed than impressed as he watched and motioned for Hiro to hold off. "Gotcha!" all four Akina said as they attacked him at once. Sai didn't even look fazed before flinging a kunai at one of the Akinas and the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Another Akina attacked as Sai dodged the pounce, moving without a hint of effort. This Akina had rope to try and catch him while another came at his side with a net. "No escape now!" they shouted in unison and leaped at him. Sai didn't move as the net was thrown at him the same time the rope lunged around his waist. "No way" Ichiro hissed in disbelief, leaning forward.

A puff of smoke suddenly surrounded Sai, leaving nothing but a log in his place. Both the Akinas quickly activated their byakugan but didn't have time to use it since they were both attacked by odd animals that almost looked…painted? Two puffs of smoke replaced the Akina and Sai almost happily reappeared in the spot where the log was.

"Now, where's the real one?" Sai asked himself, looking to his left then his right. Sai's senses spiked and he looked up, finding Akina barreling down with her hand glowing chakra, Sai was surprised even though it didn't show on his face, and she could render an arm useless with where she was aiming. Still Sai didn't move as he stared down those determined white eyes. When Akina was in range, Sai slapped both his hands around her forearm and twisted them so she hit the ground and her chakra focus was gone.

When Akina could think clearly, she found herself tied up and unable to move. When she tried, she looked like a flailing fish. Sai gave that weird smile "Did I forget to mention I was part of the ANBU in my younger years?" Sai asked lightly but loud enough for the hiding ninja to hear. Ichiro grit his teeth and looked over to Hiro, waving for him to hold off on their plan. Hiro nodded and sat down, almost seeming relaxed.

Ichiro created a clone and sent him out to attack Sai. Sai quickly engaged in battle, finding himself having to try a little bit. Meanwhile, the real Ichiro snatched up Akina and disappeared into the woods, whistling for Hiro to follow. "Ichiro put me down you stupid U−" "Shut up or he'll find us" Ichiro growled, not looking at her as he and Hiro leaped away from the battle ground.

They settled in a small opening surrounded by bushes, just enough for the three of them. "Alright, we've probably got fifty minutes by now and there's a chance he may come after us" Ichiro stated and cut Akina's rope with his kunai. Akina instantly scooted away from Ichiro and sat with her legs drawn up to her chest "We really have to work together, don't we?" Akina huffed, looking at her useless rope.

"Your strategy wasn't that bad, Akina. But he did say we had to work together" Hiro shrugged. "Well before we go plan out an attack, we need to make sure he's not watching us with those weird animals, I'm pretty sure it's some type of ninja art…" Ichiro said wearily as he looked around. "Akina, how well can you use your byakugan?" Hiro asked quickly. Before Akina could respond, Ichiro added "Don't boast about it, be honest Uzumaki" which made Akina glare at him. "At least I can activate my kekkei genkai already!" Akina snapped, causing Ichiro's eyes to narrow.

Hiro pushed them apart, neither of them having realized they had practically been nose to nose during an argument "Don't start a fight; it'd be too annoying to deal with" Hiro sighed, his facial expression resembling his father's greatly. "Sorry Hiro, and I can see animals as small snakes, but that's about it" Akina shrugged a bit sheepishly. "Ugh, what a bore, lucky for you guys I've got a wind nature like my mother" Hiro stood up and out of his small white pouch he pulled out a small fan.

"How is that going to help? It's just a−" before Akina could finish the fan became much larger, pretty much the size of Hiro. "Duck" was all Hiro said before he opened the fan and shouted "Three-sixty degree angle; Wind scythe jutsu!" and with that, the fan blew around the area exactly three hundred and sixty degrees, flushing out every animal and insect that had been resting around them. Hiro then closed his fan as it shrunk and he put it back in his pouch.

"Hey Hiro, how high is your IQ?" Ichiro asked casually as Hiro squatted back down. "A hundred and ninety, just like Shikazuno's" Hiro shrugged, not even sounding proud of this fact. "Then maybe you should've realized that such a large gust of wind would lead Sai-sensei right to us" Ichiro's voice barely had any emotion as he gave Hiro a 'duh' look. "Then he can use that IQ of his to think up a plan" Akina decided making Hiro groan "What a bore, fine. Here's what we do…"

Sai sat down, drawing in his second art book that was becoming filled up as well.

He'd started drawing it just before the fourth great ninja war, explaining his adventures in it through art. Sai had looked at his past students that had failed to become ninja. He was now working on him versing his new students, wondering if this book would continue with adventures of them as team seven.

One of Sai's painted mice came running to him, turning into a simple drawing on the open scroll. Sai then knew they were coming, so he made it appear like he was simply closing up his scrolls and book. They had thirty minutes left; Sai hoped they used it wisely. Unsurprisingly, Akina came bursting out first. This time her byakugan was activated and she had two clones backing her.

"Didn't I already tell you that you can't beat me single handedly?" Sai asked as if she had forgotten. "Course you did!" two Akina's chimed and jumped into the air, drawing kunai. Sai threw shuriken at them and the clones burst into puffs of smoke. "Fire style: flower phoenix jutsu!" as the jutsu was spoken the fireballs rained on the surprised Sai as Ichiro came through the smoke.

Sai quickly jumped back to avoid the attack and once he landed on the ground a tingle went down his spine. Sai then noticed a shadow seeming to stretch toward his feet. Sai touched the ground but quickly rebounded to avoid Hiro's shadow possession jutsu. Sai now saw the young ninja crouched in the shadows of the trees not too far away.

Akina came at his side as the shadow chased him, causing Sai to backflip just to escape, throwing a shuriken that landed in her shoulder. Ichiro appeared and swiped at him with a kunai. Sai began defending himself quickly, his brows drawn in concentration. _'He's fast, he certainly lives up to the Uchiha name'_ Sai thought to himself as he finally got away from Ichiro. He whipped out two prepared scrolls and quickly used his summoning technique "Ninja art: Super beast scroll" Two large painted creatures that looked like exaggerated lions came out of the scrolls and they both went for Akina.

"Akina, get out of there!" Hiro shouted, getting out of his jutsu stance. "Don't worry about me, you guys get Sai-sensei!" Akina ordered as she drew her kunai, the shuriken still pierced in her shoulder as blood dripped from it. Sai had known what he was doing, her shoulder was probably in a lot of pain. Still Akina was ready to take on these weird creatures. Hiro looked to Ichiro for an answer, and he certainly got one.

"Fire style: fireball jutsu!" Ichiro sucked in a deep breath and a giant sphere of fire came barreling out at their sensei. Hiro did the hand seal for shadow possession jutsu and went at Sai again from behind considering how closer his sensei had gotten. Amazingly enough Hiro's jutsu connected to Sai's shadow, making it impossible for their teacher to move. Ichiro went to finish it by throwing rope around Sai just as Akina shouted "No, it's a clone!"

The Sai that they tried to capture melted into black paint.

"Looking for me?" Sai's voice rung out across the battlefield. Ichiro and Hiro turned and saw Akina was trapped by painted snakes, the super beasts were gone. Sai held a kunai to the kunoichi's throat with that polite smile on his face. Akina's eyes no longer had the byakugan but she seemed…well frankly she seemed pissed.

Ichiro and Hiro rushed forward and made it to about ten feet before Sai said "Surrender or she'll be hurt" which made the boys pause. "What are you two doing? We've still got time left, get him! Don't be wimps, not cool!" Akina shouted, glowering at them. Surprisingly, Ichiro was the first one to drop his weapon "Alright, we surrender, just give us our teammate back" his green eyes were steel as the words passed through his lips with barely any emotion.

Sai complied and pushed Akina towards them, the painted snake slithering off her. Akina pulled the shuriken out of her shoulder and took the small cloth Hiro offered her. She applied pressure to her shoulder and glared at Ichiro in a way that said "Why'd you do that?" he gave her nothing in return so Akina could only turn towards their sensei in defeat.

"You surrendered and therefore allowed your enemy to get away. Under the Hokage's eyes this would be considered a failed mission" Sai said strictly, making the young team wince. They all waited to be told they were getting sent back to the academy. "This is why…" Sai's polite smile suddenly appeared "You have passed."

All three preteens' jaws dropped in disbelief. "Wait, what? But you said we failed our practice mission!" Akina spazzed the best she could while stopping the bleeding of her small wound. "You did. But something a ninja needs to understand is teamwork is one of the most important things. It is honorable for a ninja to die in battle, but you should never abandon a comrade for the sake of completing a mission. I believe the Hokage has already taught you this, Akina" Sai smiled and for some reason it looked a bit more real this time.

Akina smiled a little herself "He did, actually" Akina pulled the cloth back to see she had stopped bleeding "I apologize for that, but you kids actually had me on edge for a moment" Sai said in a praise, getting "whatever" looks from Ichiro and Hiro while Akina gave him a big grin. "Surprise twists, what a bore" Hiro sighed as he put his hands in pockets. "What is exciting to you?" Ichiro rolled his eyes, a faint smirk on his face in honor of his growing friendship with Hiro.

Hiro shrugged as was expected and Akina scoffed "Forget the both of you, I'm a ninja!" Akina jumped in the air in sheer joy "A minute ago you couldn't even move your shoulder" Ichiro muttered, causing Akina to zero in on him "You think you're so great with all your fancy fire style stuff! Just you wait, I'll beat you in all types of jutsu and kekkei genkai one day, you not cool Uchiha!" Akina ranted, Ichiro giving a quiet response that revved Akina to shout even more.

Sai and Hiro looked at each other as the two bickered. Sai shrugged and smiled "Well, this will certainly be interesting" Sai stated as if intrigued. Hiro watched his comrades and began laughing the more it went on, shaking his head. He certainly had to agree with his sensei.

"Both my boys are ninjas, I couldn't be prouder" Temari patted both their heads lovingly. "Let's see your pictures!" Kazu demanded, practically trying to grab it out of Shika's hands. "Easy Kazu" Shikamaru chuckled, holding his hyperactive daughter back.

Shika held out his newly framed picture, showing Asuma-sensei II standing behind them with a nervous smile, as if he didn't know what to expect with this group. Inokota was on the right a gentle smile on her face as her hand was up to wave at the camera. Chouma was on the left and was cracking his knuckles, looking ready for battle at any moment. Shika was in the middle with his arms crossed over his chest and a determined smile on his face, his eyes closed as if he was the happiest person in the world.

"Very nice, kiddo" Temari laughed and handed the picture back to Shika. Hiro gave his to his family to view them. Sai-sensei stood behind them with that polite smile, his hands on Ichiro and Hiro's shoulders. Ichiro was on the right and was looking away from Akina as if annoyed by her hyperness even in the picture. Akina stood in the middle with a bigger smile than even Shika was capable of and her eyes bright, a big thumbs up shown. Hiro was on the left, looking bored as he held up the peace sign to his chest.

Shikamaru looked down at his son and gave a slight smile "One thing I will always love about you is you stay true to yourself" Shikamaru ruffled his son's hair and also praised Shika, but Hiro was already on cloud nine as he went to put his picture on the desk in his room. His parents were proud of him, he was on his way to his goal.

And maybe, just maybe, being a part of team seven wouldn't be a bore.


End file.
